Appearance:

Largely unmistakable. All black, with white frontal shield and pale bill. Very stocky build. Lacks the white lateral stripe and white under tail-coverts of Moorhen. White trailing edge of wings visible in flight. Juveniles paler and more grey than adults, often with whitish front and neck. Under tail-coverts are dark, unlike juvenile Moorhen.

Sound:

Varied. Usually short, metallic and explosive. Most diagnostic call a very short, sharp and explosive "tsk". Sometimes a longer, less sharp but nasal "caw", with varying harshness.

Various calls:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

Bulky raptor with long tail and short, rounded wings. Small males may be difficult to separate from large Sparrowhawk females. Upperparts grey-brown, and underparts pale and barred or speckled. Male and female quite similar, but female larger. Juveniles browner than adults, with heavily speckled underparts. Supercilium prominent in both sexes. Bulkier belly and broader at base of tail than Sparrowhawk. Deep chest. Longer wings and longer secondaries gives more of a S-shape to trailing edge of wings. Slightly rounded tail-corners visible when soaring. Flight alternates series of wingbeats with short glides without loosing height.

Sound:

Series of short "ke-ke-ke-ke-ke". More resonant, both sharper and deeper pitched than similar call of Sparrowhawk, and much slower. Also a wailing "peeeaaaaw"

Alarm call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Tomek Tumiel,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license